1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a support member, an image carrier, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Summary
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a support member supported in a cylinder included in an image carrier and includes a separation-space-defining portion that is arranged at a certain position in a circumferential direction and extends in an axial direction of the cylinder so that the support member has an arc shape; and a groove-defining portion that extends in the axial direction. An outer diameter of the support member in a central region in the axial direction is smaller than an outer diameter of the support member at both ends in the axial direction. In a state in which the support member is supported in the cylinder, the groove-defining portion is elastically deformed such that elastic restoring force generated in the central region is greater than elastic restoring force generated at the ends.